Where To Stay

Where To Stay On Your Travels

A Simple Guide To Help You Choose The Right Place For You

Finding The Best Place To Stay

Choosing where to stay can sometimes be the most long winded, time consuming and most stressful part of booking your travel arrangements and there are several reasons why this is the case. With so many options and different types of accommodation to choose from, it can be a minefield deciphering all the different places to stay.

Ask The Right Questions About Where To Stay

Many people ask the question, “where are the best places to stay” in a certain town or city but there is no real correct answer to this question. The reason I say this is simply because every single person’s needs, budget, circumstances and preferences are completely different. Everyone’s views are different and what you might think is the best place for you to stay, might not necessarily be the best place for someone else. Equally, a place where somebody else thinks is the best place to stay, may not suit you and your needs. Everyone has different opinions and you should always be true to yourself and go with what is right for you. Yes, by all means listen to other people, read reviews and then decide for yourself which places best fit your own criteria.

Choosing Where To Stay And Finding The Best Place To Stay For You

Choosing a place to stay can be difficult, especially if you are booking accommodation for you and your family with children or if you are making a booking for other people. It is always a bit of a nightmare looking for accommodation and wondering if you have booked the best place for your requirements and needs. Reading reviews online can sometimes make the process even harder! Just when you think you have found the right accommodation, you read a bad review that someone has posted about the accommodation you were about to book and that puts you off! Sound familiar?

Hopefully the following information will help you make the right choices and help you find the best places to stay for you’re your own requirements.

Be True To Yourself And Save Yourself A Fortune

You really need to take a step back and ask yourself what is important to you and what is a priority when looking at where to stay?

There are several factors that determine which is the best place for you to stay and one of these factors is your budget. Only you know how much you can afford and this amount just be taken into consideration first. Be realistic at what you can get for your budget and if you receive more you’re your money than you originally expected, then this is a bonus. Once you have agreed on your budget, you should begin to ask yourself the following questions:

What are the things I really need?

What facilities do I actually require?

What am I looking for in the places I wish to stay?

Do I wish to be close to amenities, close to bars and restaurants, close to a certain location or landmark?

If you are on a limited budget, try not to become enticed into making a reservation simply on what facilities are available, instead of what facilities you actually need. This might sound a little strange but so many people are seduced into booking when they see all the luxuries and facilities that an accommodation has offer. Of course staying in a 5 star hotel is wonderful and having the choice of swimming pools, leisure and gym facilities, Jacuzzi, sauna, beauty salon, hairdressers, gourmet restaurants and entertainment every night of the week is great if you can afford it! However, they are only great if you actually use them! Ask yourself this question:

“How many of these luxuries will I actually use during my stay?”

Remember, you are paying for the privilege of having all these facilities at hand but if you don’t use them or you only use a few of them, why pay the extra expense if you don’t need to? Obviously, if you are not on a limited budget and money is not a concern, then this is different but in reality, the majority of people who stay in a 5 star hotel could have easily coped in a 4 star hotel or even a 3 star hotel simply because they don’t use the facilities on offer.

However, this said, if you can afford to stay in luxury 5 star accommodation and money is no object, in reality you are not going to settle for anything less and why should you! You will never change the minds of the people that can and do stay in 5 star accommodation but you should never be swayed into staying in accommodation that does not suit your own criteria and budget! Never be compromised simply because others try telling you what is the best place to stay in their eyes, if you cannot afford to stay there in the first place.

Have All The Facilities You Need For Less

The truth is that many lower star rated hotels have very similar facilities to the higher star rated hotels and are just as clean and comfortable but cost much less. The majority of people do not understand how accommodation is rated and believe that a 5 star hotel is much cleaner than a 3 star hotel because of its rating. However, the stars are awarded for the facilities of which the accommodation has to offer not the cleanliness. This said, the star rating system does differ throughout the world, so you should also take this into account when you are booking.

This is the mistake that most people make, simply because they ask the question ‘What is the best place to stay’ yet people answer them by suggesting 5 star accommodation. Remember, you are asking the question ‘What is the best place to stay?’ and not ‘what is the, most expensive and plush place to stay?’.

The best place to stay for you is determined by your own budget, your own personal needs, your your own requirements and your own personal preferences. This therefore means that the best place to stay for you, will obviously need to meet all of the above requirements! If any accommodation is out of your budget, not in the area you would like to stay and doesn’t have the facilities you require, then it simply is not the best place to stay for you! Even though it might be ideal for someone else who is recommending it!

Think About Yourself First And Prioritise

Before you begin your search for accommodation, ask yourself what is important and prioritise the things that matter most.

What type of accommodation do you want to stay in? Hotel, Villa, Hostel, Apartment, Camping, Cottage, House or B&B

What is your budget and what will it allow you to stay in?

Is location paramount to your accommodation?

How important are the luxuries such as swimming pool, Jacuzzi, sauna and gym?

Do you require special facilities for a disability?

Do you require special facilities or entertainment for children or babies?

All of the above points are key to you finding the best place to stay to suit your own needs and requirements. Once you have decided what factors are your main priority you can then begin to narrow down your search and begin to find the best accommodation for your budget.

Price

As we mentioned earlier, price is one of the major factors in finding the right accommodation and you should never settle for the first offer you see. You can be offered the plushest hotels in the world but if you can’t afford it, it is no good to you!

The Internet is a fantastic tool for searching for accommodation so make sure you use it! Ensure you compare prices by using a number of accommodation comparison websites. Most comparison websites allow you to set a price when you are searching for accommodation and will then return results in your pre-set price range. This saves a lot of time and disappointment.

Comparison Websites

If price is your main factor and you are not bothered where you stay so long as the price is right, there are now several websites that allow you to book a hotel for a certain price. However, when you a searching for your accommodation, they will not tell you the exact hotel to which you will be allocated but they do guarantee you a star rating. Only after you have completed your booking, will you be issued with the name of your hotel. Obviously, this does have the disadvantage of not knowing which hotel you are booking but the advantage is, that you will be guaranteed the star rating of your hotel. This generally means that you will be able to stay in a higher star rating hotel for your budget at a reduced price.

Star Rating

Most search facilities will allow you to specify the star rating of your hotel. Some will allow you to choose the exact star rating and others will allow you to choose which way your search results are returned in order of low to high 1-5 stars or high to low 5-1 stars. More often than not, it is best to let the search engine provide you with the results and then you can see which ones are the better deals. I always find that you can actually get a higher star rating for you money than you first thought you would be able to receive, especially if you book out of season.

Location

If location is a priority, then you will need to know if the accommodation you are hoping to book is located in a suitable location for where you want to be. If you need to be located near to a certain landmark or point of interest, you should ensure that your accommodation is located in that area or at least has easy access to where you need to be. Most websites and comparison websites now have a ‘Map’ facility to click on, that shows you the location of the accommodation. If they don’t, you can simply find the address or postcode of the accommodation and put it into Google maps.

Facilities

We have previously mentioned about facilities but when you are searching for accommodation, it is easier to specify your requirements which will save you both time and frustration during your search. Most accommodation search facilities will allow you to specify which facilities you require so if you would like a swimming pool, gym and Jacuzzi, you can simply click the relevant boxes. Your search results should then only return accommodation that have swimming pools, gyms and Jacuzzis.

Hotel Loyalty Programmes

Many large hotel chains offer loyalty programmes and it can sometimes be worth joining them, especially if you are a frequent traveller. Most of them are free and as a member of the programmes, you will receive special discounts on certain bookings. Some of the larger hotel chains are also linked with Air Miles Programmes so it can work out as a double bonus for you.

Read Reviews

I do have my own opinions on review sites and I believe they have both advantages and disadvantages. The are a good source of information but they should also be read with caution! I have written a separate article about review sites so I will not go into too much details about them now on this page. If you wish to read the article, please click on the following link: Travel Review Sites

Summary

The best advice you can take on board when searching for accommodation is simply stay within your budget and find the best accommodation you can for that price. Yes, it sounds very obviously but it’s true! Don’t be enticed into spending more money just because of the facilities on offer, especially if you are not going to use them. Don’t book the first thing you see, it’s amazing how much the price for the same accommodation fluctuates from one company to another. Use the comparison websites to find the best prices on where to stay in your chosen destination.